Teddy Weahkee (ca.1890-1965)

Teddy Weahkee was a multi-talented artist. Beginning in the 1920s, he mastered most jewelry techniques. He sold his work to C. G. Wallace and other traders. Teddy specialized in mosaic inlay, creating complex designs of figures from Zuni culture. He also was a fine carver of fetishes and miniature sculptures of Zuni human and ceremonial figures. He and Leekya Deyuse were among the first to carve figures to be sold to the public. Both worked with archaeologists on the excavation of Hawikku, an ancestral Zuni Pueblo.

Inspired by ancient Hawikku artifacts, Teddy Weahkee revived mosaic overlay on shells and inlay work in wooden ornaments. Figures from traditional Zuni culture served as his main subjects. He also incorporated images from Hopi and Plains Indian cultures. From the 1920s to the 1950s, he further contributed fine art paintings, oil on canvas, two-dimensional dance figures on deerskin and three-dimensional compositions. He was popular throughout his life.

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